1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a radio frequency (RF) resonator, a RF coil, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus collects information which relates to the internal structure of an object based on a phenomenon of magnetic resonance, creates a magnetic resonance image by using the collected information, and visually displays the created magnetic resonance image to a user.
The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus captures a cross-sectional image of an internal part of an object by using the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR refers to a phenomenon in which nuclei of atoms which are contained in an object which is exposed to a predetermined magnetic field resonate at a specific frequency of an electromagnetic wave applied thereto. When NMR occurs in a nucleus, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus may obtain an image of the inside of the object by collecting a voltage signal induced in an adjacent high frequency coil (i.e., a RF coil). In the case that the object, a cross-sectional image of which is to be captured, is a human body, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus may collect information which relates to internal parts of a human body primarily by capturing images of one or more distributions of hydrogen atoms. This is because the human body has a large amount of hydrogen atoms, and thus, hydrogen atoms are easily observable. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus may obtain a detailed image of internal parts of an object, and does not cause exposure to radiation, unlike that caused by radiation imaging apparatuses. Therefore, the magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is widely used for research in bioengineering and medical tests.